Sam Gyllenhaal Band

Sam Gyllenhaal Band, a Folk Pop band from Nashville, TN, is releasing their newest record, Don’t Look Down. This EP is an inspirational and soulful blend of pop, r&b, rock and country. Masterful harmonies powered by strong melodies highlight the skillful songwriting and transparent passion of the group. The band collectively comes together, invigorating their audiences with messages of love and lives well lived, never holding back, fearlessly chasing their dreams.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with the band about the latest music, challenges, technology and more.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

We’re kind of from all over! Alex grew up in San Francisco, and Grey (my sister who is in the band) and I moved around a lot growing up. We lived in Miami, Raleigh NC, Minneapolis, Washington DC, and now we all live in Nashville. So we’re children of America, devoid of any type of accent. We call our music “Harmony-driven Americana Pop”. It’s pop in the sense that we try to make the melodies undeniably catchy, and we use synths and loops on the production side in places. It’s Americana in the sense that we take a traditional approach to songwriting and have a wide range of influences, including Country, Rock, Blues, RnB and Folk. Thoughtful, carefully-crafted songs are at the core of this band, and everything else is in service of them.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

Grey and I grew up in a very musical family – our dad taught us to sing harmonies while driving us to elementary school every morning. He’s a bluegrass musician and there were always instruments lying around the house when we were growing up. In middle school, I got involved in musical theater, and I was immediately hooked on being on stage. In terms of motivation, my primary goal is to make a lasting career of doing the thing I love most in the world. A close second is that I love the people that the music path has brought me. Co-writers, bandmates, producers, kind-hearted industry folks, backing musicians – we have a lot of people that really believe in us and have found ourselves surrounded by a truly supportive community in Nashville.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

Our previous release was an album called “A Little More Freedom,” and it was a project I’ll always be immensely proud of. I co-produced that album with industry-veteran Denny Martin. This time around, I handed over the production reigns to Denny, along with two other producers, Gabe Rabben and Jake Saghi. Trusting them with these songs really paid off, and the production leveled up. In terms of the songwriting, I have my co-writers – John Cirillo, Denny Martin, Nicole Lewis, Sarah Spencer and Alaina Stacey – to thank for some incredibly imaginative, sensory lyrics. As a whole, these songs are more personal than the previous batch, which I think you can hear in our vocal delivery.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

I think that social media is a blessing and a curse. It feels like no matter how much an industry professional likes your music, the main thing they need to know is how many followers you have and if it’s not over a certain number, then they can’t get involved yet in an official capacity. We don’t like that, and I don’t think they do either. The challenge for us has been building a following on social media in a way that feels authentic. During quarantine, like many other artists, we traded in live shows for livestreaming. We started a livestream called “Spicy Thursdays,” where we play original music, talk about animal facts, and spotlight other artists. At the end of the 30-minute show, we eat something extremely spicy and try to make it through a cover song while crying and hiccupping. As you can imagine, it’s hilarious. The challenge is to set ourselves a part and we’ve found a way to try and do that, even if it hurts the lining of our stomachs.

What was the last song you listened to?

It was “Leave the Door Open” by Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars’ new band Silk Sonic. We’re trying to put together a cover of it for Spicy Thursdays, so I listened to it over and over again on the way to the grocery store this morning. It’s a masterpiece.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Obviously, Vinyl sounds the best and MP3’s dominate right now, but I’m partial to CDs. In the early 2000s when I was finding my own musical identity, my friends and I would burn each other CDs and listen to them in our cars. It’s probably no coincidence that the best place to listen to our music is in the car with the windows down.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I listen to most of my music on Spotify. You hear that Spotify overlords? Put us on a playlist! For real, I think Spotify is awesome when it comes to discovering new music. I like my Release Radar and Discover Weekly playlists for finding new stuff. There’s something very satisfying about being the first of your friends to discover a new band. I think that goes back to the days of burning CDs.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

Our socials are a good place to start! Instagram: @samgyllenhaalband, Facebook: facebook.com/samgyllenhaalmusic and we’re just getting into Tik Tok: @samgyllenhaalband. You can also visit our website, www.samgyllenhaalband.com. We’ve got music from our previous album up everywhere and we’ll be releasing new music every month from now until the fall!

Anything else before we sign off?

Thank you so much for featuring us. It means the world to us. Come see us on our Spicy Thursdays Livestream! Comment and say hey.

Full Q&A along with links and music below. - Indie Music Discovery

Sam Gyllenhaal Band brings masterfulful harmonies powered by strong melodies highlight the skillful songwriting and transparent passion of the group. The band invigorates their audiences with messages of love and lives well lived, never holding back, fearlessly chasing their dreams.

The title track is the first single off the record. Initially driven by a note written to Sam from his Dad, “Don’t Look Down” is an autobiographical story about trying to make a career in the music industry. With an evolving chorus and soaring melody this song builds with growing momentum and energy, mirroring its lyrical subtext towards its climatic finish. Risks and missteps are often inevitable when trying to evolve and move ahead, but focusing on the end goal and not fearing failure is the only way to make it to the top. The Sam Gyllenhaal Band strives to be a positive influence on those around them. This song is a reflection of that focus, encouraging living your life boldly without the fear of failure.

The group delivers an exceptional charm and warmth in the second single, “Fall Into You”. “Fall Into You” is a vividly crafted love song about enjoying the simplicity and beauty of the one on one moments. This anthem track grooves and captivates with a combination of soulful blues and the dynamic energy of pop. The soaring three part harmonies are the hallmark of the Sam Gyllenhaal Band. Sam, alongside his sister, Grey Gyllenhaal, and bandmate, Alex Schreiner, are seasoned musicians, blending their voices together to bring a message of hope and positivity into the world. “Fall Into You” is about the joy of falling in love and appreciating the closeness and peace within it. The song’s sultry lyrics are complemented by Sam’s rich voice and authentic timbre.

In the third single, “Vices”, the narrator sings about a woman who’s bad for him, but somehow he’s drawn to her and can’t seem to quit her no matter how hard he tries, and that makes her all the more desirable. She’s TNT and he’s got a death wish. Unlike most of the band’s upbeat, feel-good music, this song takes that mood and flips it. With an infectious, gritty groove paired with well-written lyrics, this song is an example of songwriting swagger at it’s finest.

The fourth single off the EP is titled “I Think of You.” It’s a Pop Americana song with a solemn mood, and it really lets the thoughtful lyrics shine. It’s about idea of trying to move on after a break up and the pain that comes with seeing things that bring back memories of that person. The band goes into great detail about some of those things including how a diner on Church Street, hand-rolled cigarettes, and Christmas lights that have been left up way too long are reminders of that person. On top of the beautifully written lyrics, the bands’ vocal blend really stands out on this track.

The band writes about life and love in motion - sometimes soaring, sometimes stumbling, but always moving forward. Gathering as much talent as possible and exploring pop, rock and country influences, the EP was co-produced by Denny Martin, Sam Gyllenhaal, and Gabe Rabben. Don’t Look Down will be available everywhere October 29th. - 1st 3 Magazine